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One writer is given the task of taking one month to explore the ins and outs of some of Manhattan’s hottest spots and events. Having only been in the Big Apple once before, she sheds a refreshing light on the city we know so well.

This week, I was given the amazing opportunity to venture into New York’s famed fashion week to watch Tadashi Shoji’s show. Being a newcomer to the fashion industry, I had no clue what to expect as I gazed around at all the fashionista’s standing next to be who were all pro’s to the scene. They were all dressed in crazy clothing with bold statement accessories, making sure that they stood out from the crowd. I was scared I would stick out like a sore thumb by being dressed so, normally. I soon realized that they were way more interested in trying to be seen and photographed while at the same time photographing the new collection than to pay attention to the people that surrounded them.

One writer is given the task of taking one month to explore the ins and outs of some of Manhattan’s hottest spots and events. Having only been in the Big Apple once before, she sheds a refreshing light on the city we know so well.

“Out of all the neighborhoods in Manhattan, Soho in particular had the charged atmosphere of a movie set, populated with passersby who looked like extras from Central Casting, so perfectly did they fit into this environment. There was the feeling of everything being not quite real, or too perfectly cliched to actually be true, and it began to rain in a fine, misty drizzle from a black patent leather sky.”

One writer is given the task of taking one month to explore the ins and outs of some of Manhattan’s hottest spots and events. Having only been in the Big Apple once before, she sheds a refreshing light on the city we know so well.

First stop — The Upper East side (because yes my TV guilty pleasure is gossip girl and yes I am curious to know the real truth about where Blair and Serena live). After googling tourist attractions in the Upper East Side, I realized that museums dominated the UES sightseeing scene, so I decided to head to the Museum Mile – a stretch (ironically longer than a mile by 3 blocks) along Fifth Avenue filled with museums. Many have questioned whether bigger is better, and in the case of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), the largest art museum in the United States, it’s true. Signs with the catchy motif, “One Met. Many Worlds,” printed over a background of different cultural photographs spanned the sidewalk leading up to the grand structure that is the Met. True enough after paying the suggested donation, I was transported to whole new worlds.

An evening at Corner Social, one of Harlem’s friendliest and tastiest dinner spots.

Harlem comes alive in the summer. Swing dancers collide with African drummers and the local haunts open their patios to hungry neighborhood folk looking to sit for a while and enjoy the sights. Of our favorites local restaurants, it’s worth taking a look at Corner Social, a place familiar to the kind of home-style hospitality that Harlem does so well.

One writer’s experience at Mission Chinese, one of New York’s most sought-after dining experience.

Thirty seconds into our appetizer of Chongqing Chicken Wings at Mission Chinese, I was worried.

“Are your lips tingling?” I asked the friend sitting across from me. As a kid, I’d had allergic reactions to the flavor enhancer MSG, often found in Chinese food. The tingling came first, followed by swelling and tiny bumps on my lips. Zero to pufferfish in about two minutes. I wasn’t keen on repeating the experience.
Then I saw that my dining partner’s eyes had become a little red and teary. It might have had something to do with the pile of dried dark red chiles scattered all over the plate, providing heat and a little visual intimidation to a dish that was labeled with only one flame on the menu. We hadn’t ordered any two-flame menu items, but I can only imagine they would have arrived at the table buried under a mountain of those chiles. Or actually on fire. Read the complete post »

The Runaway group is bringing this fabulous party to New York! They have invited Inside New York to attend and we’d like to see you there too!

From the runaway group, the company behind stk magnum mondays and liquid sessions at gansevoort park, comes the launch of the sweet dreams tour. The tour is a series of parties featuring music by nationally acclaimed talent and entertainment. In New York they will be featuring Mysto & Pizzi, Moiez and many others.Held at Manhattan’s Hudson Terrace (which is personally one of my favorite venues) and sponsored by Elite Daily, this party promises to be a memorable event.

Mark your calendars for Friday, July 26th. The party starts at 9:00 pm and runs till 4 am. Note that this 21+ event has a pajama and lingerie inspired theme. The theme is suggested but will not be enforced.

To get more details and/or purchase tickets, just click here and check out their webpage!

Ticket sales are ongoing. Early Bird General Admission tickets are of limited quantity and cost $20. Once early bird tickets sell out, General Admission tickets will be $30. Other ticket prices range from $10 for Garden Admission to $40 for VIP. VIP tables are also available, so check out their site to get the details.

For a long time, I thought there was little difference between receiving information visually and hearing it. I would zone out in class and read the textbook to get by. I would go on road trips with family and listen to an audiobook, then finish it in paperback outside the car. I would even be impartial to movies with or without subtitles.

Then a friend gave me a ticket to something called “The Moth,” a spoken storytelling event created to revive the old-fashioned spirit of the raconteur. I’d heard of it once or twice before, but somehow thought of it as kooky – it at once evoked cringe-worthy images of finger cymbal’d poetry readings and childhood memories of being stuck in front of the fire for too long as Grandpa (re)told the family long-winded tales of his fifty-year stint as a technical writer for an engineering firm in Cleveland. Sue me, I’m imaginative.

The ten featured storytellers were asked to jump from the word “Lost,” and jump they did. The five-minute tales of loss ranged from the literal, being lost on the first day of an internship abroad, to the mental, watching a beloved aunt struggle with Alzheimer’s, to the spiritual, going on shrooms at Burning Man with a teenage pop star. Did I mention the #1 rule of The Moth is truth? I didn’t realize this until the end, and had a bizarre sense of retrospective amazement when I found out. Each and every story was true. Read the complete post »

This is the second installment of a regularly running column entitled ZeNYC, a series about finding inner peace in the big city.

It was Times Square during rush hour, and that meant traffic headed towards the Uptown 1 platform was backed up onto the stairs. Surveying the mob, I doubted I’d fit on the next train.

And then I spotted hope: a mother with two kids. The bags under her eyes told me she wouldn’t be nimble enough to push onto the next subway, while the oversized stroller told me that she wouldn’t even find enough space to get on. I shimmied my way up next to her, knowing that I could out-run and out-squeeze her when the time would come to steal a spot on the upcoming car.

The subway soon arrived and I crammed onto it, barely fitting. As the doors struggled to close, I faced the mother who never made it and had an epiphany: I am awful. Read the complete post »

Inside New York has teamed up with a popular app to bring you a cool promotion:

Enter for your chance to win a pair of tickets to see hip hop collective OddFuture, led by Tyler the Creator, play Williamsburg Park on 7/20! The LA hip hop crew is also joined by by Meek Mill and DJ Funkmaster Flex.

To enter download the Applauze app and enter in the coupon code INSIDENY. You’ll get $5 credit to your account, and one lucky winner will receive two FREE tickets to the show!

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Inside New York

Inside New York is a complete guide to life in New York City. Since 1978, we've treated readers to the best that the city has to offer in dining, nightlife, attractions, and events, while also providing essential day-to-day information that will turn any traveler, transplant, or tourist into a seasoned New Yorker.